Medical waste in a beauty salon.

In addition to municipal waste, a beauty salon may also produce medical, infectious waste.

Let's start with what medical waste is, and the definition of waste can be found in the Waste Act:

Medical waste, in accordance with the Act of 14 December 2012 on waste, constitutes waste generated in connection with the provision of health services and conducting research and scientific experiments in the field of medicine.

In connection with the above, no waste is generated in a beauty salon as a result of providing health services, but through the provided cosmetology services, the salon produces waste classified as hazardous waste from group H9 - infectious.

This waste, most often in the form of needles, contains live pathogenic microorganisms or their toxins and other forms capable of transferring genetic material, which are known or for which there are reliable grounds to believe that they cause diseases in humans and animals.

Therefore, they constitute medical waste with code 18 01 03* in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Climate of 2 January 2020 on the waste catalogue.

Infectious medical waste in accordance with the Waste Act of 14 December 2012 should be transferred for thermal processing in a hazardous waste incinerator.